Turnabout Wars
by Aliucon
Summary: The Allied Nations witness something terrible: an attempt at murder amongst commanders in their ranks. Or that is what it seems like. And to the defendant's aid comes the lawyer Phoenix Wright. Will he be able to uncover the truth behind this incident?
1. Soaring Eagle

**Legal Disclaimer:** I do not own any of the characters shown in this fanfic. "Advance Wars: Dual Strike" characters belong to Nintendo, while "Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney" characters belong to Capcom.

**My Disclaimer: **May contain slightly OOC Maya (I'm REALLY sorry, but I just can't get used to talk as her, will try and work on that). Also, I would like to thank you for considering reading the fanfic. Rating and reviewing is appreciated too. Special thanks to Klowee von Karma for all the motivation. Enjoy.

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"Gosh, I'm SO BORED!" Maya exclaimed, sat in the office's couch with Phoenix, watching the last episode of the Steel Samurai, that was reprising for the thousandth time already. "Nick, how long has it been since you last received a defense request? Seems like ages ago!"

_Well, it was enough time to make you bored, so that's a LOT indeed._ He thought, smiling internally with the inside joke. "I don't remember either, Maya," he finally added, distant. "Guess we haven't been very lucky in getting work…"

They really hadn't. Since March of that year, after the Matt Engarde case, they hadn't gotten many requests, and thus they hadn't worked. It was June already. The red bills over the desk frequently drew Phoenix's eyes whenever he was at his office. If he didn't do something soon, they might have to take the street. Desperate as he was, he even considered asking Edgeworth for help, though the idea was yet to be tested. He didn't want to hassle his friend, and this "friend" would probably not bother helping him either. The world was certainly a cruel place for lawyers.

"I wanted to go get a burger or, I dunno, train! Even train would be fun now." Maya sighed. She was definitely bored to death. "Didn't they build a waterfall around already? Like, in Gourd Lake?"

"'Build a waterfall', now that's new." Phoenix said, almost laughing at her naiveness. Of course, she had probably slipped there, she wasn't always like that. Her perceptiveness and dedication were worth some trials to Phoenix. "No falls around, and I bet the cold shower idea won't serve you again…huh, what could we do?"

"Don't ask me! I'm quite out of ideas and-"

Suddenly, three hasty door knocks were heard. Phoenix and Maya exchanged looks. The latter stood up and headed for the door. When he opened it, the sight of a young, good-looking man with gelled back (and slightly spiky) gray hair and dark eyes came to him. Wearing a blue uniform and having some goggles hanging around his neck, he looked like a stylish pilot.

As soon as he saw Phoenix, his arms crossed and he inquired immediately:

"Mr. Phoenix Wright?"

"Huh…sure, that's me," Phoenix answered, not being able to help the hesitation. Maybe it was the awkward way the visitor was dressed. Well, awkward to his standard. A lot of people would think Maya dresses awkwardly as well…

"Perfect. I have been looking for you. Finally we meet!" He uttered, his lips curving in a smile. "Let me introduce myself. My name is Eagle. I am the great commander of the Green Earth faction, from Cosmo Land. Pleased to meet you, sir." Saying this, he extended a gloved hand to Phoenix, that hesitantly shook it.

_What's with this guy…? Commander? Green Earth? Is that something like Green Peace propaganda? I'm not offering any money to save the seals, you know!_ Phoenix thought as he shook his hand and tried to smile. "Nice…nice to meet you too, Mister Eagle. May I inquire as to why did you come here, exactly?"

"Wow, nice choice of words, Nick!" Maya whispered in awe as the two men talked.

"I was looking for the lawyer to take up the case of a...friend of mine," Eagle answered, his eyes scrolled through the whole office behind Phoenix, attentive. "She's been involved in a rather difficult situation, and asked me to search for someone to save her skin. As commander, of course I flew over here to Los Angeles to request your services, Mr. Wright. So, will you help my friend's cause?"

"Woah, wait a minute…" Phoenix tried to slow him down so he could gather his thoughts. "You said you 'flew' here? So, where are you from, again?"

"Cosmo Land. Quite far from here." Eagle answered, flashing him a smile. Why ever he seemed satisfied with the question about where he was from was beyond Phoenix, however. "Took me 2 hours to fly here in my best jet. Not too shabby of a distance, if I do say so myself."

_What the heck? A jet? Man, this guy must be with the big leagues, then. Now I'm a bit scared of getting myself involved._ Phoenix went with the thinking while Eagle spoke.

"Regardless of the distance, however… I need an answer from you. If you refuse, I must be on my way to find that obnoxious tank-rider tomboy another lawyer…" He said, his eyes falling for the first time since they faced each other, but then quickly raising to Phoenix, apparently not ready to falter on the face of a stranger.

"No! Nick, we need that money! Accept it!" Maya exclaimed, grasping Phoenix's shoulder and rocking it a little.

"I… Well, naturally, I accept," Phoenix answered. Eagle seemed to be pleased.

"Excellent. I'm sure you want to do your investigation on the matters first, and talk to your client. I shall make the arrangements to our departure this night, then. Is that possible to you? Hopefully you're not busy?"

"No sir, I am…well, I'll be sure to fit this on my agenda." Phoenix said, not very willing to reveal his total lack of work to someone he had just met.

"Very well. If you need to contact me, use this." Eagle said casually as he offered Phoenix a big green plasticized card that contained his name, a picture, contact numbers and the logo of a planet in green on the top. Its complicated design convinced the doubtful Phoenix that whoever he was, that Green Earth faction sounded like serious business. He took the card from Eagle's hand and examined it with interest. On the next second, he raised his head, and Eagle was putting on the goggles that hanged around his neck close to his neckband. Now he didn't just look like a pilot, he WAS a pilot.

"Mr. Wright, I'll be taking my leave. I hope you'll be here by 7:00 PM today. This is the time I'll come about to take you. The girl can come too, if you wish." He took a quick glance, through the goggles, at Maya. "Is she your understudy?"

"Eh, not exactly…" Phoenix replied. "She is my assistant, Maya Fey."

"Nice to meet you!" Maya greeted cheerfully, joining her palms and bowing her head. A single side of his mouth curved in an effort to smile back to her.

"It's nice to meet you too." Was all he said before moving his head back towards Phoenix. "Mr. Wright, I would recommend that you take some spare clothes and other possessions you might find of use during your stay at our headquarters. Have a nice day, Mr. Wright."

_H-Headquarters…?_ His thoughts came again to make him uneasy. "Huh…see you soon, Eagle…" He replied back, as the man turned around and left walking . A couple of girls looked at him with interest when he passed by. Phoenix had to wonder whether it was because he looked dashing or because he was walking while wearing goggles.

"Well, there he goes…" Maya suddenly said, spying the outside over Phoenix's shoulder. "I don't remember meeting someone quite like him before." Phoenix closed the door and turned around to her. Her fore and middle fingers touched her lips lightly. She seemed thoughtful. "And what's with this 'Green Earth' faction? I never heard of it!"

"Neither did I." Phoenix shrugged. "Maybe it's been recently founded. Maybe it's a trap. I'm not sure if I'm buying everything that guy said, actually."

"A trap? But why would they set up a trap against you, Nick?" She asked, closing her hand and bringing it closer to the cheek, still seemingly thoughtful. Upon hearing that question, Nick envisioned some of the assassins in the trials he had been… Then the he felt his thoughts vague to Franziska, then DeKiller, then… He tried to block that all from his mind, shivering. He had already agreed, and that might as well be his salvation from drowning on unpaid bills. So he went for the office's window and stared into the blue sky that pompously prostrated itself over them all, trying to remain calm.

"I… don't know. Maybe I shouldn't be thinking that, yeah." He replied.

"Yeah! There's a person in need, right? Someone we must defend! So we'll go either way!" She added, still cheerful. Her batteries had probably charged up when Eagle visited. The expectation for a case must have dominated her already. Phoenix flashed her a smile.

"Yes, we will. Now, let's get our things packed, Maya."

"Yay!"


	2. An Old Ally

Phoenix was scanning suitcase for his best suits (out of all the blue ones he had, he meticulously chose the best ones for the traveling) to check up if he hadn't forgotten anything important when Maya smacked the office's door open and dragged with her a seemingly heavy carryall, as well as a rucksack on her back. Phoenix noticed and immediately helped her bring the carryall in.

"Maya! Just how many acolyte clothes do you have again?" Phoenix enquired. The bag weighted a ton. If Eagle had said the truth about a jet, it would probably not even be able to ascend with such heavy carriage. Maya, however, smiled at him.

"I guess I have a few, yeah. Sorry! But I only brought what was necessary, Nick! Who knows how much time we'll spend there! I had to take lots of changes."

_Right, only what was necessary. Is all of your home really necessary?_ Phoenix wondered as he pushed the carryall near the desk and moved to close his suitcase. He had packed only what was indispensable. He figured that the rest would be provided to them when they arrived there. Of course, there was still the possibility that this was all a trap. But he remembered Eagle's stance that morning, what he had said, and thought he should try and trust that guy a little. The first impression he had of him was weird, but he seemed cool and collected enough, formal and yet interactive, not to mention kind if he had gone through the trouble of searching a lawyer that lived so far away because of a friend's request. Yet, wasn't that a little too weird? Why did such a rich and important man travel all the way here to request his services? Couldn't he had just picked a lawyer that was in the area? Or was the are so isolated that it didn't have any lawyers? Or was that all a trap?

Knocks on the door. This time, Maya rushed to open it, but it wasn't necessary: it was already open, as she hadn't closed it when she entered, carrying her luggage. And it was indeed Eagle, impeccable as ever (or as that only other time they could see each other) and with the same uniform, goggles already over his eyes.

"Mr. Wright, I take it that you are ready?" he asked, his eyes glancing at the amount of bags and cases there, mainly at the carryall. Phoenix nodded, grabbing his suitcase and a briefcase that laid on the chair near the desk. "Very well, follow me."

"We are headed to the airport, then?" Maya queried, her eyes shining with expectancy. She had used trains a lot of times, but never flew before. The idea excited her. Eagle chuckled when he looked at her.

"Yes. I had a little friend of mine come here and ride us to the airport. I considered coming here with the jet alright, but it would face some difficulty plying across this city." Eagle said casually, waiting for Phoenix and Maya to approach with their respective luggages. "There are too many skyscrapers and buildings. I shall try it next time, though." He laughed. Phoenix exchanged looks with Maya. Now Maya didn't seem as eager to fly with him on control all of a sudden.

"Who is your friend?" Phoenix asked, trying to sound casual enough. "Is he with this 'Green Earth' faction too or whatever?"

"Not really. You'll see." Eagle responded as he turned around and walked away. Phoenix and Maya followed him, and as soon as they did, a cacophony of thunderous roars sounded so suddenly it made both Phoenix and Maya jump. Eagle looked up and waved to someone or something. Phoenix followed his eyes, and saw a single yellow helicopter descending to them. The wind blustered down by the copter buffeted them, and it finally stopped when it landed…in the middle of the road. Phoenix couldn't believe it. He was now compelled to believe that Eagle was saying the truth about everything, but making an helicopter land in the middle of Los Angeles? Couldn't they go to the airport by train like normal people?

"Oh, I have a preference for aerial transportation." Eagle said, replying to Phoenix's thought and to his flabbergasted expression. "That's why I requested this transport copter here to carry us. Hey, Sensei!"

Someone had just opened the door for them. An old man, wearing a brown closed parachute on top of an orange uniform, goggles and a tight cap, stuck his head out to face them. His face's skin had several wrinkles. He smiled back to Eagle and called the three to enter. It was a bit of trouble to transfer all the luggage to the copter, so they took a few minutes there. And surprisingly, no car came that direction while they were doing so. Phoenix had imagined tons of angry drivers ganging up on them when they saw the road blocked by the copter. But that didn't happen, and when everything (and everyone) was placed in the copter, the old man sat on the pilot's place and ascended again, the copter making that string of terrible noises they had heard just before.

"What's the deal with this chopper, Sensei?" Eagle asked to the pilot, laying back lazily on his own seat, that was just to the right of Phoenix and Maya. None of them both was as calm, though. "It's engine's roaring more than Drake's belly in the morning."

"Sorry for that, Eagle." The man replied with a grin. His voice, despite his appearance, was not hoarse, it was rather deep. "This babe here was my companion on the battlefield since I was corporal. It's by its fifties, this girl. I'll have to ask Andy to fix it sometime."

"Wow, Nick, an old man that picked up the way that young people talk!" Maya whispered in surprise to Phoenix. "That's, like, the opposite of you."

"Hey!" Phoenix was about to reply when he heard Sensei's voice again.

"So, this young man is…?"

"Phoenix Wright." Phoenix quickly replied, trying to smile again. "Attorney at law."

"Attorney, huh? Why are we hiring you again?"

Eagle sighed. "Sensei, we are taking him to defend the… defendant in that case," he said, emphasizing the word 'that'. "Never mind him." He muttered to Phoenix, that seemed to be certainly scared with the situation now. "He's been forgetting things more often these days. Doesn't have the brain he still had when he was still 80," Eagle added, just to see Phoenix and Maya's jaws dropping. "But don't worry, he's still good. The Yellow Comet commanders told me he was a monster back in his days. And even today, I haven't met anyone that can pilot a copter so well. He's better than me, even. Which is quite good, I assure you."

Now Phoenix was really confused. He would probably take some time to believe in all of that too. So he decided to distract from his thoughts with a question. Since he was struck there with two aviators for some time now, he might as well clarify some things.

"Huh…Eagle. Can I ask you something?"

"Sure, go ahead, Mr. Wright."

"What exactly is "that" case?"

"An incident that occurred in the headquarters of the Allied Nations not long ago." It wasn't Eagle, but rather Sensei that replied to the question. "It cause some stir between the factions involved. It was an attempt… at murder." Sensei stopped there to give the moment a dramatic feel. Or maybe because he had forgotten who were the people involved. Eagle lowered his eyes for a moment.

"The person they arrested was one of my companions in commanding Green Earth. Her name is Jess. The circumstances pointed to her guilt, but the trial is yet to come."

"Who was the victim?" Phoenix asked, trying to gather information as he always did.

"Well, technically, it's a commander from the Blue Moon faction. Her name is…Sasha, I believe." His eyes were raised, as if he was trying to remember something.

"'Technically', you say?" Maya, that was listening closely, asked, wanting a clarification.

"Yes, because, you see, no one died." Eagle babbled , taking a look through the window of the copter. "But she was attacked, yeah…and I'm sure that Jess didn't do it. She would never do such a thing." Eagle crossed his arms. "She can be obnoxious, arrogant and such, but she would never kill an ally."

_Yeah, most people wouldn't._ Phoenix thought, but said nothing. He had to gather his thoughts. "Oh, and..may I ask why did you choose me for this case?"

"Two reasons." Eagle said, without faltering. "First, it was Jess' request that you represent her. Even though we are at a considerable distance from the States, word of your deeds in court have already travelled our way, Mr. Wright." He stared at Phoenix. "Jess would be delighted to trust you with her fate."

_Considering everything that he says about her, I'm not that sure…_ Another thought crossed Phoenix's mind as Eagle spoke.

"The other reason is that the prosecutor will be…special, to say the least." Eagle looked up, reflecting again.

"Special, you say?" Phoenix incited him to continue. Eagle shivered.

"I'm sorry, but until you and Jess sign the required papers for you to represent her, I don't feel it's safe to let you know anything more."

"What? But Nick is going to defend her for sure! You can tell us!" Maya blurted. Eagle felt himself blush a little.

"I know, I just…don't want any troubles of you demanding to leave if you refuse without because you aren't still properly bounded to the case by law. Will give me quite a headache…"

Phoenix thought he wasn't being very sincere, but didn't say anything. The copter had just started to descend. Looking out through the window, he noticed they were at the airport already. And, again, Sensei didn't seem to mind about landing over the streets. Eagle uncrossed his arms and opened the hatch quickly.

"Grab your belongings, guys." He said, his lips curving in a smile. "We need to move fast, or else we won't get to HQ before the sun rises."


	3. Meeting the Defendant

The airport was rather crowded that day. Not that Phoenix knew how it usually was on other days, but it was difficult to move around altogether. The fact Maya had such a big piece of luggage didn't help. Eagle lead the way, and they took but a few minutes to get into an empty corridor that went to the opposite side of the commercial planes, as it could be checked by the glass walls that allowed a good view of the outside.

"Oh, right, it's a jet…" Phoenix reminded himself, as they continued onwards, with much more freedom than in the crowded area. They went down a set of stairs (Maya almost lost balance, which would have been life threatening to the two men since her carryall would roll over them) and were finally on an open field. Stationed by the airport were about 10 jets painted in green, deployed in an arrow-like formation. A group of pilots walked around, talking casually, all of them with green uniforms. When they noticed the newcomers, one of them screamed a command and they got in formation in no time, facing Eagle.

"All right, boys, we got what we were supposed to. We leave at once! Everyone, to your fighters!" He exclaimed, and so the soldiers obeyed heading each to their planes. Eagle called Phoenix and Maya to the place in the middle. He had to call them, for they didn't seem like they would move soon after seeing what they did.

_Several green airplanes… WAR airplanes, rather. And green soldiers… man! Who IS this guy? Is this Green Earth faction so big? _Phoenix thought as he followed. Then something came to mind. "Eh, Eagle… isn't that… Sensei coming along?"

"Sensei? He said he still has business here in Los Angeles. He'll catch up with us eventually. I could wait for him, but we ARE in a bit of a hurry…" He added, thoughtful, right before properly entering the plane. The others followed, and Phoenix sighed.

"Isn't this commonplace already for us, Maya? Being in a hurry, that is." He said, referring to all the cases they've taken part on where they didn't have a lot of time to investigate or anything. She nodded in response, but now her attention was drawn to the interior of the plane. Though there was little space, the available seats were inviting, and Eagle asked them to sit, which they did, once Maya and Phoenix placed their luggage somewhere safe.

"Well, you should stay here. Here there are no seat belt lights, no emergency exits to your left or right either, but for your convenience, in the event this aircraft falls due to an attack of Black Hole's fighters, your seats can still be used as a floating device." He laughed again. Unconsciously, Phoenix gripped his seat with all of his right hand's might. "It's not like this will happen with me piloting, but oh well. Enjoy the view."

Once Eagle set off to the cabin, both Phoenix and Maya immediately attached their seat belts, more out of panic than because of anything else.

It didn't take long for them to take the skies. All the planes were taking off in the same formation they were on ground, and going as fast as the roaring engines allowed. Now, Phoenix could only wait to see how this would turn out. He and Maya stared into the darkness of the night, feeling too much aware of the godly speed they were travelling at right now.

"Eagle… he said he took 2 hours to get in Los Angeles, right?" Maya asked, uneasy. "So we'll take the same time to get back, right?"

"Hopefully." Phoenix said, looking back at her. Both of them were nervous, but now that they had embarked, it couldn't be helped. The duo just hoped time didn't cost very much to fly in that flight.

"Nick!" Maya's voice sounded, waking Phoenix from his trance. He had spent the last 30 minutes reviving his previous cases in a dreamy fashion. But now he found himself back in the interior of a Green Earth's fighter. He noticed Maya was pointing to the window, and when he looked over to it, he was taken aback in utter surprise.

The sea had disappeared from their sight. In its place was a massive amount of land, but not as massive as the colossal building made right in the middle of it. It was the biggest Phoenix had ever witnessed. Several flashlights surrounded it, which made it possible for them to identify its peculiar color scheme. It was mostly covered in a pure white ceramic tilework, while the corners were painted each of a particular color. From north to east to south to west, respectfully: red, yellow, blue and green. Right now they were facing the green and blue corners. The latter had a quarter-circle drawn as its logo, much like a waxing crescent moon, while the former had a full circle, which was familiar to Phoenix, as he had seen the same logo in the card Eagle had given him.

The ace attorney and his trusty companion had seen much that day that left them with the jaws dropped in amazement, but that monstrous building had topped them all. So much so that none of them noticed when they started to descend to one nearby green airport, at least until the tremor became intense enough that they understood they were landing. Both instantly held to their seats, but it didn't last long. They soon came to a full stop, and Eagle appeared from the cabin, looking at his watch.

"I can better that time." He commented, distractedly "But that'll have to wait for a while. Please come with me, Mr. Wright. Don't worry about your luggage." The pilot added once Phoenix had unfastened his seat belt and meant to grab his belongings. "I'll have some of my men take it to your quarters. Right now, I need you to follow me."

Phoenix and Maya complied, and they went outside. A transport vehicle ("APC", as Eagle had called it) took them to the giant building they had seen previously. Several doors led inside, but Eagle took the one in the very middle of the side they entered. The group crossed an immense hall, which was empty, and reached a narrow corridor that led to a string of elevators. Eagle went all the way to the seventh, and called it. Not a second later, the door opened, and the three stepped inside, Maya being the most excited, Eagle being thoughtful, and Phoenix showing signs of tension. Instead of going up, they went down to the basement, which was just below them. Eagle took off as soon as the doors opened again, and Phoenix and Maya were on the verge of running in order to keep up. The basement wasn't like a parking lot or anything. Instead, it contained a number of big cages to each side, leaving only a narrow pathway in the middle to be traversed. As they walked, Phoenix noticed all of them were empty, except for the farthest one to the left. The figure inside was still too far to see, and the relative darkness of the place, only slightly helped by three light bulbs along the path, didn't do much to reveal the person, until the individual stepped up to greet them.

The person in question had light-red hair, a slender build and wore a tidy green uniform. Phoenix had some difficulty in determining its gender, for the general look, the uniform and the pose were those of a man, but the stature, along with the hint of breasts on the chest, suggested it might be a woman after all. The person was carrying a large pointy yellow object, that should be no less than 3 feet high, although Phoenix couldn't determine exactly what it was at the time.

"Mr. Wright, this is my companion and your client, Jess of Green Earth." Eagle announced, solemn. The prisoner stretched her arm between the bars in order to shake Phoenix's hand.

"I'm pleased to meet you, Mr. Phoenix Wright." Jess spoke, and then Phoenix was reassured that the person was female. "No other attorney would make me easy at this point."

"Since you touched the subject, Miss Jess…" Phoenix interjected. "Why exactly do you want me to represent you so badly?"

Jess looked at Phoenix for a second, and then to Eagle.

"You didn't tell him." She said, sighing. Eagle shrugged.

"I thought he would feel intimidated."

"How can he be of use if he doesn't know who he is fighting?"

"Well, he'd discover eventually… I was just planning to wait until he was sure to stay, but now that you said it…"

Jess shook her head, and faced the puzzled Phoenix.

"There is a very good reason I called upon you, Mr. Wright. If it wasn't for that, I'd probably dispense a lawyer and defend myself." She said, with a certain level of arrogance in her sentence. Phoenix blinked.

"And what is it?"

"The prosecutor… will be rather special."

"The prosecutor? W-Who is it?" Maya asked, shaken by the dramatic moment. Jess made a pause before uttering the name.

"von Karma."

Phoenix began to sweat. The image of the blue-haired, whip carrying prosecutor stormed his mind. He had faced her so many times as of late. He was finding it hard to believe that yet again they would face off in court.

"Wow… I can't believe it's HER again, even in this far away land." Phoenix spoke, more to Maya than to anyone else, but the remark made Jess raise one eyebrow.

"Her…?"

"You said that von Karma is the prosecutor." Phoenix explained, looking back at her. Eagle and Jess exchanged a look.

"We are not speaking about a girl." Eagle remarked, crossing his arms again.

At first, Phoenix didn't understand what that meant. They should be speaking of her, right? But then it occurred to him of another possibility. If the thought of Franziska von Karma made him sweat, now his heart had almost stopped.

"You don't mean… you can't mean…" He began, but couldn't finish. Jess nodded once.

"Yes, I mean it." She said, rather dramatically. "The one and only. The one with the perfect record. The one only you were able to beat… Mr. Manfred von Karma.

x_x_x_x_x_x_x_x_x_x_x_x_x_x_x_x_x_x_x_x

**Author's Note**: OK, so I sincerely apologize for abandoning the story, but I decided I will write it to the end now. Very sorry for everyone that read it before, and thank you very much for reading it. I'll try not to dissapoint anyone with the upcoming plot. I could use some constructive criticism, though. So, see you in the next chapter.


	4. Introduction to the Case

Phoenix was momentarily consumed by the flashback of the intense case where he had faced off against the almighty Manfred von Karma. Fear was obvious in his face, and his legs started to shake. Maya had also been affected by the news, so much so that Phoenix thought she spied a small convulsion of her body, as if she had suffered a small shock.

"B-But that's impossible! It can't be him!" Phoenix exclaimed, still in denial of the situation. "Not after what happened in that case…"

"Natural reaction. We were pretty surprised too when we heard it." Eagle said, his arms still crossed. He kept an image of coldness in him at all times when he crossed his arms. "I naturally had followed the case where you faced off against this beast of a prosecutor. I know what happened. And yet, he is here, ready for the trial. Only Blue Moon to pull that off." Eagle spoke the last sentence with certain annoyance.

"I'll explain." Jess walked around the cell while speaking. "The victim has a considerable wealth behind her, as does the Blue Moon country in general. It was one of the biggest countries, it not the biggest, before our unification. That said, the victim has a brother, who, despite his age, is a high-ranking official on the Blue Moon. His name is Colin, and there is no wealthier family than his, to the best of my knowledge. Now, having all that wealth in hand, it's not strange to have a big influence in all sorts of areas. Colin wanted to give her sister the best of treatment, the best of medicine and, of course, the best prosecutor to ensure she was properly avenged." She paused. Phoenix gulped. "I don't know how much money it was needed to get von Karma here, but the fact is that he's around, and I have reason to believe he is positively more dangerous than before, having Blue Moon as his support."

Phoenix listened with attention and horror mixed in one. He made no remark. Jess looked in Eagle's direction.

"I envisioned such a reaction." Eagle said with a sigh. "That's why I didn't want to tell you sooner… before we arrived here. My apologies."

Phoenix was still deaf to his words, thinking about how much more difficult would a trial be against such a formidable opponent. Would he be up to the task? He couldn't count on luck again. Von Karma would be even more ruthless than before. The trial could easily before a large-scale battlefield.

"I have one question." Phoenix faltered. Both members of Green Earth averted their eyes towards the attorney. "Are you truly innocent?"

"Yes." Jess said simply, but serious. Phoenix looked into her eyes, and sneakily touched the Magatama, which was on his pocket, with his right hand. No locks appeared. She seemed to be telling the truth. He sighed.

"Alright. I'll take your case, then. Not that I have much of a choice, after being brought here."

"Capital!" Eagle smiled slightly. "So we should lose no time in exposing the facts to you. Jess, if you please?"

"Yeah, sure…" Jess replied, which still didn't act like she was excited. "I'll expose the facts as I know them. Listen closely."

"First of all, though, it's important that you know where we stand. The people of the Cosmo Land waged war for a long time. We are 4 factions: Orange Star, Blue Moon, Green Earth and Yellow Comet. However, the appearance of a faction called Black Hole made the war go into full scale, as they used strategy to deceive us, thinking we needed to fight amongst ourselves. Years after the Black Hole was no more, all factions united as one, and you're now standing in its headquarters. That is the background of this place. Now for the facts."

"We are all at peace, but our rigorous preparation for war has compelled us to have some military drills every now and then. On the day of the incident, I had worked with my indirect attack units, artilleries, shooting a specified target by the edge of the island. The event wasn't anything special, as I often practice with my vehicles around the island. That day, I did as normal, and withdrew my units before it got dark. The day passed by quite normally, and by midnight, I was going to my quarters. When I got there, I received a call from an Orange Star commander, Nell, saying that one of my artilleries was left by the prairie north to this building. I looked through my window with some binoculars, and indeed there was a green artillery."

"But you said you withdrew all your units… if I understood correctly." Phoenix remarked, trying to keep up with the military terms he was dealing with. Jess nodded.

"Indeed, which is strange on itself. I would never commit this kind of mistake. Anyway, it was still an unit from Green Earth, so it was my responsibility to deal with it. Well, I set off at once."

"You were alone, then?" Maya asked, thoughtful. She knew they were getting to the big scene, so it was possible that she wanted to hear it in a bit more detail.

"Yes, I was. All the other commanders were on their quarters already, and the soldiers seemed to be as well. I didn't see a single soul on my way."

"How did you get to your unit? If you did at all." Asked Phoenix.

"My intention was to use the APC deployed near the HQ to move to the artillery unit, then tie the two vehicles together and bring the APC back to the HQ with the artillery."

"Hold on." Phoenix stopped her. "I thought you had a base where you stored these units? Why not store it there, like it should be?"

"Ah, that." Jess said, remembering something. "I couldn't use the base. Andy, an Orange Star commander, is usually in charge of such bases, as he is always repairing the damaged units. He goes to sleep at around 9, so I wouldn't be able to put my unit back in place until next morning. I thought I should as well leave it near the HQ, then."

"I see… go on." Phoenix said, trying to absorb all the facts of that most singular incident.

"Well, I did just as I planned, Mr. Wright. Took the APC, got it to bring the unit in question to headquarters. It was then that the incident happened. I heard something crossing through the air, and then a loud explosion. My instincts all told me that it was something like a bombardment, so I stopped and tried to make out where it was coming from, as to find the escape route and take cover. I found nothing, though, but then I heard a loud thud at some distance in front of me. It wasn't like a bomb this time. I exited to see what was going on, and much to my surprise, I saw that the Blue Moon corner of the headquarters was damaged around one window. Some fire was spreading, and some parts of the wall were falling. Obviously, something had attacked the room, but there was no other unit around, or plane in the air, as far as I could see. So, despite the Fog of War, I went straight back to the building and…"

"Fog of War?" Asked Phoenix, confused. Eagle stepped up to answer.

"The Fog of War is a most common condition here in Cosmo Land. It is pretty much like normal fog. We only call it that way because it constantly appeared when we were at war, and it played an important part in strategy."

"Oh, I understand." Phoenix said with a nod. Jess then continued.

"I arrived at the scene roughly 5 minutes after the explosion. I went to the 7th floor as quickly as I could, and there I found most of the commanders of the alliance aiding the victim. She seemed to be badly injured, but didn't complain about the pain, which is actually pretty becoming of her. I noticed I was the last to show up, and some of them noticed it too, deeming it suspicious right off the bat. Olaf, the head of the Blue Moon, was especially angry, shouting curses around madly. He eyed me with evil in his eyes, but we focused in getting Sasha to the med room first."

"Was everyone there?" Phoenix asked, ascertaining himself of the situation.

"To the best of my knowledge, only one person was missing." Jess answered, after thinking for some moments. "Grit. He's also a Blue Moon commander. He was out of the island at the day of the incident, running some issues with the other governments. He does hate to do so, but Olaf is always bossing him around with this kind of thing. Other than he, every commander was present. Nell, which is usually renown as our great leader, ordered a search to be made all around the island. Each corner of the island was inspected by one group, and Yellow Comet happened to come across the markings on the ground of both my drill in the afternoon and the lone artillery they tracked down to the HQ. Once their report reached Nell, and through some minor testimony of other officers, I was arrested. That is it, Mr. Wright."

Phoenix thought over it all for several minutes. Maya was also making an effort in assimilating it all. Eagle and Jess left them to their own minds for some time, until Phoenix finally spoke.

"This case doesn't seem as solid as I thought it'd be for either side. Despite that, von Karma is sure to bring every weapon he can to the fray, so I definitely have to watch out. Who is the detective in this case?" He asked that last part, almost hoping it would be a familiar face like Gumshoe, but once he remembered where he was, he lost hope.

"Sonja's doing that job." Eagle commented, scratching his head. "I heard she called a friend of hers for the forensics related to the case. She should be arriving today's evening. And speaking of today…" He took a glance at his watch. "It's almost 1 AM. It'd be very rude to keep both of you up any longer. Jess, I trust you have no objection?"

"I said what I needed." Jess replied, turning around in such a fashion that Phoenix was reminded of Lana. "I trust that the truth will be revealed in the trial. Investigate. If you need to discuss anything else with me, you'll find me here."

"Well, I do have one question, though it's not really related to the case." Phoenix said shyly. Jess made no complaints, so he went on. "What is that thing you're carrying?" He then pointed to the large yellow object she was sustaining so naturally during the whole conversation, that it looked effortless.

"Nick, it's obviously a giant crayon. I mean, what other thing would have that format and color?" Maya blurted, earning a glance of disbelief by Phoenix. Jess turned to them again, looking not as much annoyed as surprised.

"A crayon! Dear me, of course not. This is a tank shell." She said, waving the shell around as to show it entirely. "Geez, why do people always think it's a pencil or something..? I just like having one with me, OK?"

"It sure must make you feel… loaded." Maya said with a smile. If not for the glare received by his client, Phoenix would have laughed at that joke. Eagle made no ceremony to laugh out loud, though.

"Well, we should go now, shall we?" He said between laughs. "Good night, Jess: I'll take our guests to their rooms. I'll come to check on you tomorrow." As he finished the sentence, he called Phoenix and Maya with a wave of his hand, and they made their way to leave.

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**Author's Note:** If there are any questions you want answered by the characters in the next chapter, you can send reviews or PMs naming them, and I'll do my best to fit the explanation on the story. I have a full plot planned, though, so I won't be able to change anything major. Feel free to guess and speculate. Thanks for the people who follow this story, and I hope I won't let you down in the future.


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